This description relates to operation of sensor networks such as those used for security, intrusion and alarm systems installed on commercial or residential premises.
It is common for businesses and homeowners to have a security system for detecting alarm conditions at their premises and signaling the conditions to a monitoring station or to authorized users of the security system. Security systems often include an intrusion detection panel that is electrically or wirelessly connected to a variety of sensors. Those sensors types typically include motion detectors, cameras, and proximity sensors (used to determine whether a door or window has been opened). Typically, such systems receive a very simple signal (electrically open or closed) from one or more of these sensors to indicate that a particular condition being monitored has changed or become unsecure.
Government entities, companies, academic institutions, etc. issue credentials to employees, contractors, students, etc. to control access to buildings and facilities, indoors and outdoors. Individuals who bypass security systems to gain access, either intentionally or unintentionally, are difficult to identify and locate.
Many devices use a rules engine as a subcomponent for processing rules that control and monitor processes or devices. The execution of rules may produce no output as when monitoring devices update internal values and processes, or execution of rules may be indication that a rule has fired (executed). As a subcomponent, rules and data updates are sent to the rules engine and rules either fire or do not fire. In a typical system, another component evaluates the output of the rules engine and determines an action to take such as where results should be sent or if additional processes are needed or if the rule is chained to other rules or in a general sense how to route the outputs from firing of the rules.